


The Way Life Goes

by marthaandtheponds



Series: The Way Life Goes [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: A series of oneshots, Gen, Multi, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Iron Man 2, Pre-Avengers (2012), Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Tony Stark Has Issues, We'll get there, but he's a good dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-28
Updated: 2015-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-09 05:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3238052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marthaandtheponds/pseuds/marthaandtheponds





	The Way Life Goes

**_Mid 2008_ **

Life sometimes gives us everything and nothing that we expected. Sometimes he would relive the moment that his life changed forever, for the better. He got the call in mid-afternoon, while working in his workshop, avoiding the world.

“Sir? A call for you." Jarvis knew better than to interrupt him with people when he specifically asked not to be bothered with them. It had to be important.

"Put them through." Tony dropped his tools and put on a headset. "Tony Stark."

"Um, hi Tony." The voice was familiar, but in a distant way. "Listen, you probably don't remember me, but we met a few months ago. At the club in Manhattan?"

Tony vaguely remembered that night, he had went out and got completely hammered, drowning in the pain of what had happened, when he thought that he was going to die. That was the night he couldn't take it anymore. The night it had all crashed down on him, when he felt like he was drowning in everything.

"I do remember you. Marisa, right?" Tony replied, recollecting himself.

"Yeah." A deep breath on the other line. "Listen, I need to let you know, I took a few tests... And I think I am pregnant."

Tony stopped moving, his breath caught in his chest. The tools were forgotten, tunnel vision beginning to overtake him.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his voice muted.

"I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. Then I'll have a confirmation." Her voice was shaking slightly.

"And... It's mine? You're sure?" Tony asked her. "Not that I don't trust you, but..."

"Yes. Look, I just wanted to let you know. I have to go." The phone disconnected, and Tony was left listening to silence.

"Tony? Are you alright?" Pepper's voice floated to his ears. "What was that?"

He didn't respond, still focused on the news that was just dropped on him.

"Tony?" Pepper asked again.

"Yeah. Yeah, fine." He cleared his throat.

"Okay, well, investors are on the line." She hesitated, watching him.

He made his way upstairs, and barely listened to the people on the line. Finally, Tony hung up the phone, then staggered over to a chair in his living room.

"Okay, Tony, tell me what's wrong." Pepper came up behind him, rubbing a hand over his shoulders. When he didn't respond, she moved in front of him and held his face in her hands. "Tony, what happened?"

Tony took a deep breath. "Something... I can't quite wrap my head around it yet."

"What?" She pressed on.

 

"I'm going to be a father." Tony looked away from her. "At least, I think I will be. I'll know tomorrow."

The room was silent for a while. Tony couldn't bring himself to look at her.

Then there was a soft hand on his face, wiping away tears he didn't even know he had.

"You're not mad." Tony said, eyes closing.

"No, I'm not." She took in a shaky breath. "Do you know what you’ll need? A paternity test, a contract, all of those things. And I'll be by your side.”

“Thank you.” Tony whispered, burying his face in her red hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*6 months later*

Tony had spoken to Marisa throughout the duration of her pregnancy, and taken the measures to make sure that she would be taken care of.

Marisa and Pepper had met, and, thankfully, formed a friendship, mainly due to the fact that Marisa really had no interest in Tony beyond the baby they had made together.

Marisa had decided to not see the gender before it was born. And she and Pepper had gone shopping multiple times to help her furnish and prepare the baby's room.

The three had not spoken about the paternity test, nor the situation of parenting, nor the baby’s very turbulent future.

Pepper had said that Marisa seemed adamant that she would raise the baby herself.

The thought should have brought relief to Tony, but instead it filled him with dread.

Another Stark without a father.

Shit. He had to ask her about the last name.

But of course, that hung on the paternity test. If it came back negative, this wouldn't even be a worry anymore; right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The baby was due any day now, and he wanted to do more than just wait around for the phone to ring, but no matter how many times he called, Marisa was adamant that everything was fine.

As he tried to focus more on his work, he unconsciously ventured up the stairs and into the room that they had made into a nursery for the baby. It was quiet, across the hall from their room, and painted in even neutral tones, even if he did know what the sex of the baby was, that was a choice that he would have made. He sat down, contemplating everything going on in his life. He wasn't sure that he could handle everything that was coming. The world that had gotten opened up to him when he created Iron Man, it was more dangerous than he ever could have dreamed. Could he even be there for them? Everything was swirling around his head at a million miles per hour when his phone vibrated, Marisa's name lighting up the screen.

"I'm on my way, just hang on. Are you in pain? Do you need anything?" He was running out the door, heart pounding with excitement.

"No, no. It's over. She’s here."

Tony stopped. "She? It's a girl?"

"Yeah. Let me call Pepper so she can get down here." Marisa hung up the phone.

Pepper was ecstatic. They had met up with each other in front of the hospital and practically raced to the room Marisa was in.

There, in the middle of a large hospital bed, was Marisa, holding a pink blanket.

"Is that her?" Tony whispered in the doorway. Marisa lifted her head and nodded.

"This is her." Tony entered the room, coming to sit next to Marisa.

"Wow." Tony gazed at the tiny form laying in her arms, sleeping soundly.

She had wispy dark brown hair, and a little button nose that reminded Tony of his mother.

"She's beautiful. Wow, Marisa. She is so beautiful."

Marisa smiled at him.

"What's her name?" Pepper asked.

Marisa shifted slightly. "Vivienne. I left her middle name blank, so you could pick one, if the results come back positive."

Tony took in a sharp breath. He had completely forgotten about the paternity test.

“Right, so do you want to do it now, or wait?” Marisa asked, shifting Vivienne in her arms, waking her slightly.

She had a perfect mixture of Tony's brown eyes and Marisa's green eyes.

"Can I?" Tony asked, avoiding her question.

"Oh, uh, sure." Marisa gently moved Vivienne into Tony’s arms. Tony cradled her against his chest, staring down at the tiny human that was half him. Or, he hoped she was half him.

“So… the test?” Marisa sat up and crossed her arms. Pepper came over and sat on the other side of Marisa.

“We don’t have to do the test. If you don’t want to, we don-” Tony began.

“Ms. Vernon?” A nurse entered the room, looking at her clipboard. “How are you feeling?”

Marisa smiled. “I’m alright, actually. A bit sore, but I guess that comes with the territory.”

The nurse came over and smiled. “Your vitals have been doing great, and if you are feeling well enough, you, and your baby girl can leave tomorrow!” The nurse took a few papers out of the holder at the end of the bed.

“But first, can you give us a name, and a father?” For the first time, the nurse acknowledged the other two figures in the room. Her eyes widened slightly upon seeing Tony.

“Um, yes.” Vivienne began to move, and Marisa leaned over to check on her. “Vivienne…” Marisa looked up at Tony, waiting patiently.

“Maria.” Tony held the name on his tongue for moment, relishing it. “Vivienne Maria.”

“What’s her last name?” Pepper asked.

“Vernon.”

“Stark.”

The conflicting responses made the nurse stop writing. “Oh.” Turning to Tony, she raised her eyebrows. “Are you the father?”

“Yes.” He avoided Marisa’s questioning gaze.

"Mr. Tony- Anthony Stark.” The nurse wrote the name down on the paper. “I’ll be back with a few things for you to sign, and then I’ll get the information I need.” She backed out of the room.

“Listen, Tony. I don’t know what you were thinking, but I… I am going to raise her.”

Both Pepper and Tony got very quiet, and the only sounds were Vivienne’s breaths.

“So, I would have no part in her future? At all?” He instinctively clutched her tighter to his chest.

“I thought… you would understand. She’s my daughter.”

“And she’s mine.”

“You’re not sure. I can tell.” Marisa crossed her arms. “And if she isn’t?”

Tony stiffened. He looked down at Vivienne again, and smiled as he watched her sleep.

“It wouldn’t matter to me.”

“It’s better this way Tony. Please tell me you understand that.”

“No, I don’t. Because I was under the impression that I was going to be a part of her life. It isn’t better for her to grow up without me. Without her father.”

“Listen. Let’s first just figure out paternity, then we can work out whatever’s left.” Pepper interjected.

“Until we have it sorted out, I think I should just be the one taking care of her.” Tony opened his mouth to say something, and Marisa stopped him. “Just until we know paternity. Then we can work out whatever it is that needs to be worked out.”

“And we can always change her name.” Pepper added, rubbing Marisa's back gently.

Tony cradled Vivienne even tighter to his chest. She was not sleeping anymore, instead she had her hazel eyes were focused up at Tony sleepily.

“Hi Vivienne. It’s me, Tony. I'm your daddy.” He shifted her into his left arm and gently moved the blankets away from her body.

Her onesie was pink, with stripes. Her little hands reached up for Tony's face.

“Alright Ms. Vernon, the forms are all here, we just need a last name for baby Vivienne here, and you can finally relax.”

Marisa looked at Tony. He nodded, though his eyes were filled with tears.

“Vernon. Vivienne Maria Vernon.” Marisa said to the nurse. Pepper stood, discreetly wiping her eyes, watching Tony interact with his daughter.

"If you want to get the DNA sample now, you can." Marisa said, adjusting the hospital bed.

"Right." Pepper dug around in her purse, trying to find a cotton swab.

Marisa waited as Pepper gently swabbed the inside of her cheeks. She swabbed Tony's cheeks next and put them in a separate bag.

Marisa piped up from the bed. “How soon will the results be here?”

"About two days." Pepper put the swab in her bag.

"I guess... We'll call in a couple of days." Tony said, adjusting Vivienne.

"I don't think you want the press to see this. We leave tomorrow, and I’m sure this will be under the radar by then. You guys may need to figure out a cover story for why you were at the hospital."

Pepper and Tony nodded. Tony gently placed Vivienne in her bassinet.

“Alright. Well, I guess I’ll be hearing from you in a couple of days.” Marisa adjusted the blankets around Vivienne, avoiding their eyes.

Tony and Pepper left the room, hearts heavy with anticipation.


End file.
